Our top energy saving tips
With rising energy bills, climate change and the cost-of-living crisis hitting home, it’s easy to feel defeated by the bigger picture. But making smaller, simple changes to your home and lifestyle can make a huge difference to your bills — and the planet! Here, busy working mum-of-two Heidi shares what she gets up to in a day, with some of her unique tips that have helped her keep costs down.
MORNING
My day starts at 6am and I like to hit the gym. After my work-out, I use their shower and hairdryer, it’s included in my membership, so why not? At home, I use a timer to make sure I don’t shower for longer than five minutes. The whole family sticks to this rule.
TOP TIP: According to Thames Water, if a family of four reduced their showering time by just one minute, they could save £52 on energy bills each year.
Take a Break Top Tip: Reducing your boiler flow temperature is an easy way to cut costs. If you have a combi boiler, find the ‘flow temperature’ setting (the dial with the radiator symbol), and lower it to 60 degrees.
Once the kids are out the door, I’ll make a Thermos of water for hot cuppas throughout the day. Working from home, I’m extra cautious about my energy usage. In the winter, I open the blinds on sunny days and let the sunshine warm the house.
TOP TIP: When working from home, only plug in your laptop when it needs charging. Keeping it plugged in will soon show up on your bill.
Take a Break Top Tip: During the day, when less people are in the house, turn down radiators in rooms that aren’t being used.
DAYTIME
Living with two teenagers who discard clothes, I used to do up to 14 loads of laundry a week! But now I’ve trained them to re-wear clothes as much as possible. Now I only do four loads a week, which has saved a bundle of cash.
TOP TIP: Tumble dryers are one of the biggest energy guzzlers, so dry garments outside or invest in a heated airer.
Take a Break Top Tip: Reduce your washing machine temperature. Changing from 40 to 30 degrees means you could get three cycles instead of two, for the same energy cost. Fill your machine every time!
EVENING
Before bed, the whole family checks that all appliances, apart from the fridge, have been turned off at the wall, and all candles have been extinguished. The Wi-Fi also goes off.
TOP TIP: Appliances left on standby consume energy throughout the night. By turning them off before bed, you’ll be saving money in your sleep.
Heidi says: ‘Energy saving has never been more important. All of the little hacks combined can make a huge difference to your bills. By not using my tumble dryer, I’ve slashed around £170 off my annual bill.
And by switching from an electric oven to an air fryer, I’ve saved over £260 per year.’
Heidi Ondrak, 51, Plymouth
6 Key energy saving tips
1 Reduce your boiler flow temperature. If you have a combi boiler, find the ‘flow temperature’ setting (the dial with the radiator symbol). Then lower the temperature to 60 degrees. Turning your boiler flow temperature down could save you up to £100 a year.
2 Turn down radiators in rooms you’re not using to the midpoint on the valve This reduces the volume of hot water you use and helps you heat more efficiently. It’s more energy efficient than turning them off and could save you up to £70 a year on bills.
3 Stop heat from escaping through your windows and doors. Tackle draughts by blocking unwanted gaps around windows and doors with caulk from a DIY shop or using draught excluders to reduce heat loss. It’s easy to do yourself and could save you up to £60 a year.
4 Switching to energy saving light bulbs could save you up to £55 a year. Standard or incandescent light bulbs are very inefficient. LED light bulbs last longer and cost less to run. So, you save money on your energy bills and on replacement bulbs. They don’t give out less light, either.
5 Reduce washing machine temperature and number of washes. Changing from 40 to 30 degrees means you could get three cycles instead of two for the same energy cost. Fill your machine every time.
6 Turn appliances off standby/at the plug. It could save you up to £70 a year.
For more useful tips like these visit gov.uk/saveenergy
Prepayment meter vouchers
One of the biggest tips we can give is to make sure you’re getting what you’re entitled to!
Every household is entitled to a £400 discount on energy bills. Don’t forget that if you’re on a traditional prepayment meter, this support is through monthly vouchers from your energy supplier (these vouchers were first issued in October ‘22 and there will be one per month up until March ’23). You need to act now to redeem your voucher...
1 Make sure that your supplier has your up-to-date contact details.
2 Check your post, texts, emails (and spam) for your Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers.
3 Redeem your vouchers as directed at top-up points, like the Post Office and PayPoint shops, ensuring you take valid ID with you.
4 You have 90 days to redeem the vouchers. If you have lost or can’t find the vouchers, you can ask your supplier to reissue them.
Visit gov.uk/helpforhouseholds for more information.